Means for absorbing road-shocks on vehicle-wheels.



H. HOUSE.

MEANS FOR ABSOEBING ROAD SHOCKS ON VEHICLE WHEELS. APPLICATION FILEDJULY 30, 1912.

L. 1 28, 140., Patented Feb; 9,1915.

Lu ren i0 1* vicroiua ausrnnma.

I MEANS FOR ABSORBIN Gr RQAID -SHOCK.S 0N VEHICLE-WHEELs.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knowm that I, HERMAN HOUSE, :1 subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing at Flinders Buildings, Flinders street, Melbourne,Victoria, Australia, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Means for Absorbing Road-Shocks on Vehicle-WVheels, of which thefollowing is aspecification.

My invention refers to means for absorbing road shocks received on thewheels of vehicles and is particularly applicable to motor driven carsand other analogous con veyances.

The invention is at once simple of construction easy of attachment andeiiicient in operation.

In carrying into effect my invention, I utilize leaf springs which Imount on the zframefif the car or other vehicle in a spe- I prefer touse two springs to wheel and connect them together at one end in acommon mounting adapted to freely move about a pin in the frame of thevehicle. The other ends of the springs will be respectively looselyattached the one to a link or" shackle on the said frame and the otherto the wheel axle.

The invention is applicable to most wheeled vehicles where the body issupported on springs but as it is more particularly intended for use onmotor driven vehicles i have, in order that the invention may be fullyunderstood, illustrated the same as applied to such vehicles in theaccompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of part of the chassis of a motor vehiclewith my arrangement of springs attached. Fig. 2is a front view of same.Fig. 3 shows a detail illustrating my method of connecting up twosprings, and Fig. 4 is a plan of part of the l ft hand rear wheel andsprings. Fig. 5 il ustrates mechanism to minimize extreme side sway ofthe car body, and Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the same.

On the chassis frame 4 at each side near to and forwardly of the frontaxle of the vehicle is a bracket 6 in each of which is a mounting forthe springs 7, while the rear whcels springs may be mounted directly onthe frame in their pivotal support as shown in Fig. 1.

One end of the uppermost spring is loosely attached to the link orshackle 8 which is itself attached in a like manner to the frame.

cial manner. each vehicle Specification of Letters Patent Patented Feb.9, 1915.

Application filed July so, 1912. Serial No. 712,306.

The other end of the said spring is held in a clamp or holdfast 9 inwhich is a distance piece or block 10 between the thick ends of theupper and lower springs 7 The distance piece 10 is further the carryingpin 11 that is held in the vehicle frame and about which the block andthe springs 7 may limits. The lowermost of the springs 7 is likewiserigidly held in the clamp 9 at one of its ends as shown, while its otherend is attached to a convenient mounting upon the wheel axle 12. It willthus be seen that while each upper spring 7 inclines from its thick endupwardly toward the vehicle frame each lower spring extends downwardlyand rearwardly from its thick end to its axle connection therebyassisting the wheel to surmount obstacles and tending to reduce theshock arising from the same.

When a wheel receives a shock the lower spring will, while allowing thewheel to back up from as well as tosurmount the obstruction, describe anare about the pin 11, and as the upper and lower springs are rigidlyheld together in the clamp 9 it follows that the movements of the lowerspring will be more or less conveyed through the clam mounting to theupper spring which wil assist in absorbing the shock received by thelower spring from the wheel. On the other hand, should theshock comefrom the direction of the car body it will be more or less absorbed bythe uppermost spring and any balance will be transferred block 10 to thelower spring.

For the purpose of overcoming the tendency of the axles 12 to revolveand to stay the same in their proper positions I may extend the brackets6 downward for a short distance or may provide a lug upon the members 9to provide a bearing or support for the torque rods 13 the otherextremities of which are held in brackets depending from the wheelaxles. These rods 13, of which there may be one to each wheel shouldpreferably be approximately parallel with the lower springs and areloosely held in their mountings.

It willbe observed that the distance between the axis of the pin 11 onthe frame 4 and the pin 14 on the extension is approximately the same asthe distance between the spring tip mounting 15 on the axle and the inthe depending bracket 17, and

pin 16 distance between 11 and 15 is apthat the utilized as a bearingfor through the proximately the same as the distance bewheels is notprovided with its own torque bar or its equivalent, such for instance as"car,

lateral stays between a point near the axle ofone wheel and a point onthe frame at the opposite. side near to the spring block' mounting.

It zwilhbe observed that the uppermost of the. springs 7 is attached tothe vehicle frame at two points while the'lower spring is on the axle atits .tip and at its thick end is held in the rockingv member 9 that alsoholds the thick end of the top spring. The weight of the .car thusdirectly comes upon, the four springsytemsbut any shocks. on thewheelsthat tend to .straighten the lower springs are conveyed upwardthrough the rocking members 9 to the .upper springs.

When the. car body rocksfrom side to side.

there will be a tendency to a twisting strain upon'the lower springs 7-,moreparticularly at their tips.

end of the wheel axlesa vertically disposed bow spring inthe ends ofwhich are rollers that bear upon a vertical plate secured to the vehicleframe. The tendency of .the car body'to roll sid'ewise-will thereby becorrected and its movement and pressure upon its carrying springs bemore vertical.

While I have not shown the abovemecha nism in the principal Figs..1 and2 it is thought that this part of the invention will be fully understoodif reference be made to the special Figs. 5 and 6, wherein the verticalplate 18 is held on the vehicle frame 4: at convenient points on eachside of the such as near to each wheel.. The bow spring 19 is securelyheld,,i,n the bracket 20 which may 21 and on each end of' the spring 19is a roller 22 which bears on the plate 18 and moves over it in avertical path according to.

the movements of the car body. The springs 19 placed thus at each sideof the frame will guide the vertical movements of the body and preventextreme side sway of the same in the spring suspension, arranged inaccordance with this invention.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Let-' ters Patent is I 1. In shock absorbing means of the kindindicated, means for keeping the carbody upright and for minimizing theside 'pl'ay vof the same which consistsof the combination with thevehicle frame of a vertical plate or plates depending from the frame atI In order tominimize this actron I propose to mount .on or near eitherspring upon a wheel axle or other mounting apart from the frame androllers upon the tips of the springs bearing on a plate, as set forth.

2. In a shock absorber, the combination of a vehicle frame, an axle, alink pivoted to the frame, a rocking member pivoted to the frame, a loadbearing leaf spring having one end connected to the axle and the otherend to the rocking member, and a second load bearing leaf springextending from the rocking member and pivoted at its free end to thefree end of the link. 3. In shock absorbing means of the classdescribed, the combination of a vehicle frame, an axle, a rocking memberpivoted to the frame beyond the (Ii-x1e, a leaf spring secured totherocking element and extending,therefrom,-,a link pivoted atv its endstosaid leaf spring and the frame, and a second leaf spring secured tothe rocking element at one end and pivoted at its opposite end to theaxle.

4-. Inshock. absorbing means of the. class described, the combination ofa vehicle frame,.an axle, a rocking member, arr'upper leaf.springsecured to the rocking member and-extending rearwardlytherefrom, alongitudinal rocking connection .between the rear end of said leafspring and the frame, and a leaf spring-secured to the under side of therocking member and extending rearwardly therefrom the rear end of thelower leafspring being secured to the axle.

5. The combination with a vehicle frame and an axle, of a pair of leafsprings connected at one end and diverging at the other, means forpivotally connecting the connected ends of the springs to the frame, theextremity of theldiverging end of one spring being secured to the axle,and a connection be formed on thesteering swivel for pivoting'theextremity of the diverging bnd of the-other.spring.to the frame, thesaid latter connection including-means for permittinga slight lateralmovement of the extremity of the spring.

6. Ihe combination with a vehicle frame and an axle; of a pair ofunilateral. graduated leaf springs having their thickened portionsconnected pivotally direct to the frame, thetip of one spring beingconnected to the axle and the tip of the remaining spring beingconnected to the frame above said axle to permit a slight lateralmovement of the end of said remaining spring. In witness whereof I havehereunto signed my name-in thev presence of two subscribing witnesses.-1

. HERMAN I-IOUQE.

- Witnesses:

M. NEWTON,

M. ALLAN.

